similar to my grandparents lesbian friends on long island in the sixties one was a nyc judge and the other a bit of a bohemian they often watched my mom and her siblings and were favorites in the neighborhood but no one ever addressed their sexuality just called them spinster friends sad that gay couples couldnt be more open but good that they werent ostracized and could be active community members in some places its heartening to know my grandparents loved them so much and gave me some solace as a teen before coming out to them